Typically, an OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) modulation technology, gives wireless networking a physical (PHY) layer. OFDM modulation technology is typically implemented in embedded OFDM chipsets that could include radio transceivers, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) processors, system input/output (I/O), serial to parallel and back again translators
In practice, the OFDM chipset bundles data into frames which are transmitted over narrowband carriers in parallel at different frequencies. High bandwidth is achieved by using these “parallel subchannels (aka sub-carriers) that are as closely spaced as possible in frequency without overlapping/interfering. By being orthogonal, they have no overlap, and thus do not interfere at all with each other. Orthogonal means that they are perpendicular, but in a mathematical, rather than a spatial, sense.
OFDM, though, has to contend with other problems besides multipath distortion. Two of the most important problems are frequency offset and phase noise. Both can happen when the receiver's voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) is not oscillating at exactly the same carrier frequency as the transmitter's VCO. When the problem is permanent, its called frequency offset; that could result in more errors because the no-longer orthogonal sub-carriers can interfere with each other.
One solution is to include a training sequence at the beginning of every packet using subcarriers. These subcarriers are modulated with the known training data using binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) to produce “pilot tones.” These tones let both the transmitter and receiver determine the frequency offset and phase noise jitter between the transmitter and the receiver. Once known, adjusting the VCO's frequency and adaptively correcting for the current offset will correct the frequency offset.
The Wimax standard (IEEE Std. 802.16-2004) released Oct. 1, 2004 uses frames that have a preamble that may have a constant frequency offset. In Wimax an OFDM symbol at the start of a frame is part of a set of several pre-defined preamble symbols. When the receiver initially powers on, it may not know which preamble is transmitted, and what the frequency offset is and time offset of the OFDM signal. Further the Wimax system may simultaneously receive multiple preamble symbols from different base stations the may use the same frequency resulting in a signal interference and negative signal to noise ratio (SNR) at the frame edge.